There are some strange rare design choices that cause minor moments of frustration, like one song constantly switching on and off between off-beat hits and another song that can overwhelm you with a flurry of notes right after an in-song cutscene, but in general, this game absolutely rules. It does a great job translating the song's lyrics and major beats into a firmly telegraphed form with the overlapping circles + lines that have to be traced as held notes, and they're all placed carefully in order to keep the chart and the player in-tune with the beat, perfect for the compact DS touchscreen. Admittingly it's not ideal relying on sheer score accrual over individual stage rankings to unlock the bonus stages, but it at least provides another incentive to master more difficult stages and the hardest settings when the thresholds are set that high. Either way, the game's charm is absolutely infectious and it never gets old watching three guys in suits and sunglasses dance away everyone's problems, no matter how minor they may be. Without a doubt, I can see myself coming back to push through the highest difficulty after clearing this on normal, so it's an easy recommendation despite some low points. I saw this advertised all over the place as a kid and can't believe it took me this long to finally try it out: hands down one of the best titles on the DS, and it's a real shame we don't see anything from iNiS anymore.

Reviewed on May 22, 2023


3 Comments


10 months ago

Omg please beat the 3rd difficulty and try out Hard ROCK!! afterwards, the point of song lyrics and major beats come into full effects in the harder difficulties, and I would argue the game is much more enjoyable this way.

10 months ago

EBA made songs by mediocre pop punk acts away more fun, and I think that alone is worth giving the game credit for

10 months ago

@Iru: I'm on a break from playing the game because there's a blister on my thumb from playing Taiko No Tatsujin last night, but I'll be sure to play more of the harder difficulty on and off soon! From the little of what I've dabbled with it, I definitely agree that the harder charts do an even better job translating the songs into playable form.

@ReeseyPuffy: You're right, EBA actually made me appreciate the use of Sk8er Boi in a video game. That is a sentence I never thought I would be saying in my life.